Hey Miraculous! City of Fights
by Kryten
Summary: It's Spring Break in Paris, and Adrien's old friend from the States, Rhonda Lloyd, is crashing the party. But while both Marinette and Chloe fear that she's a threat to their chances with Adrien, the real threat could be the super-powered secret Rhonda is hiding... especially when Hawk Moth gets involved. Part of the "Body Issues" series.
1. Paris in the Springtime

**A.N.: This story takes place sometime in the middle of season 2 of **_**Miraculous: The Adventures of Lady Bug and Cat Noir. **_**It also takes place during spring break of Freshman Year for the Hillwood crew. I don't know much about how the French school system works, so I'm kinda just assuming they have something like spring break over there. I'm sure someone'll correct me at some point, and I'll have to walk something back, but until then, I'm just going with this.**

**All dialogue is translated from French unless otherwise indicated.**

_HEY MIRACULOUS: CITY OF FIGHTS_

Chapter 1: Paris in the Springtime

_Tom & Sabine Boulangerie et Patisserie_

In all the world, there were few more pleasant places to wake up than in an apartment directly on top of a bakery. In the mornings, the savory scent of baking baguettes, complemented by the sweet aromas of macarons and pastries in various stages of development would waft upward and gently rouse Marinette DuPain-Cheng from her nightly slumber.

For a few more moments, the petite dark-haired young teen allowed herself to bask in the luxury of lying there, caressed by her bedding and the smell of fresh baked goods.

"Rise and shine, Marinette!" intruded a high-pitched voice on her dreamy reverie. She awoke with a start, nearly falling out of her bed before catching herself. "I told you not to do that, Tikki," she grumbled, trying to recover her dignity.

"Sorry," the source of the intrusion, a tiny red sprite covered in polka dots, apologized. "But I couldn't exactly let you laze the first day of Spring Break away, could I?" she teased.

"Your concern for the efficient use of my time is very touching," Marinette replied sarcastically.

"Well, think about it… more free time means more free time with _Adrien_…" she reminded her.

Marinette had to concede that. By now, the little sprite (actually a _kwami, _a tiny fairy-like creature bound to a totem that mystically granted the wearer superhuman abilities – but that'll be important later on) knew her master very well, and knew exactly how to motivate her… and the prospect of being around her crush certainly qualified. "That does sound nice," she admitted.

"Plus," Tikki added, "Every minute that you don't spend close to her is a minute that someone else can… someone like… Chloe…"

Marinette's eyes narrowed. "Chloe…" she growled. The thought of that spoiled, conceited, self-absorbed harridan getting near Adrien made her blood boil. Granted, the girl tended to have that effect on everyone, but especially her. Hurriedly, Marinette showered, dressed, and tied her hair into her trademark twin pigtails, pausing only to grab a croissant and say goodbye to her parents before dashing out.

"I thought that would get your attention," the _kwami_ said smugly from her comfortable position nestled in Marinette's purse.

"Don't get smug with me, Tikki. Remember, don't bite the hand that feeds you macarons."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, I wouldn't starve you… but maybe the next one will be black licorice-flavored. Or sour quince…"

Tikki shuddered. "Point made."

* * *

She arrived at Parc du Buttes-Chamont, where she and her friends had arranged to meet that morning.

Her best friend, Alya Cesaire, was already waiting on a bench near the lake. "This is surprisingly early for you, Marinette," she teased.

"What can I say," Marinette replied innocently. "I wanted to get as early a start on Spring Break as I could."

"Of course. And I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we'll be spending the whole day with Nino and Adrien."

"Well… I mean… we're gonna be here, they're gonna be here…"

Alya dropped the pretense. "Look, I spent a lot of time setting this up. Getting Nino to make Adrien clear his schedule alone was a chore and a half. You _know_ what a stickler his dad is. Getting a full day off, especially before a shoot, must have been like pulling teeth." The Creole girl gave her bestie a pointed look that screamed _You better not blow this_.

The girl must have infinite patience, Marinette mused. Time and time again, she'd tried to arrange it so that Marinette would have a chance to come clean about her feelings for Adrien, and time and again, Marinette would spectacularly blow the opportunity. She had no one to blame but herself, of course, herself and her tongue-tied-ness and her clumsiness and her general all-around awkwardness - but could you really blame her? Adrien was not just any boy, he was the son of one of Paris's most prominent fashion designers and, and in his own right a renowned male model. Marinette didn't just have a crush on a boy, she had a crush on perfection itself!

Deflecting from her own obvious motivations, Marinette remarked "Oh, and you getting to spend the day with Nino has nothing to do with anything, I'm sure."

"Don't change the subject, girl," Alya retorted. "You are going to walk right up to Adrien, and what are you going to do!"

"Probably fold like a towel!" Marinette replied honestly.

Alya facepalmed. "What am I going to do with you." Her phone went off. "Ah, text from Nino. 'I'm almost there.' Well… moment of truth, Marinette. Don't try to wimp out this time," she said, poking her friend playfully in the ribs.

"Uh… Alya…" Marinette turned her friends head so that it faced where Nino was indeed approaching them… alone.

"Ughh…" Alya groaned. "What gives, Nino? You were supposed to bring Adrien!"

"Yeah…. About that…" The Franco-Morroccan boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "There was kind of a last-minute change of plans…"

Alya rubbed the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Don't tell me… his dad signed him up for some sort of young enterpeneurs' seminar or an Ancient Greek class or some other thing that'll sap what little free time he has left."

"Actually, he told me he had to run to the airport. Some old friend of his is coming in on a plane from America…. Randy or Rhoda or something like that. Don't worry, he said he was going to join us later."

"Well, looks like you get a brief reprieve," joked Alya.

"Reprieve from what?" asked Nino.

"Nothing. Hey, let's hit Toussaud's. I heard they just put in a superhero exhibit."

"You and your superheroes," Marinette said, rolling her eyes.

"Can I help it if they're fascinating? The colorful costumes, the daring feats…"

Marinette chuckled inwardly. If only her friend knew…

* * *

_Charles du Gaulle Airport_

It was hard not to notice the girl striding down the hallway. Even at her fifteen years of age, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd (it should have been hyphenated, but due to a typo on her birth certificate she was stuck with a British beef dish for a middle name) had been blessed with the tall, slim body of a fashion model (understandable, as her mother had actually been one before settling down), with dark brown eyes and lustrous black hair cut in an asymmetrical bob framing a face that hinted at a blend of Celtic, Romany and Korean origins. From neck to toe, she was clad entirely in designer originals, from her blue Nera Lang tank top and candy-apple red Geordi Alarmi jacket, to her black Gabriel Agreste jeans and red Oleg Caprini boots. The only thing that didn't fit the profile was the small butterfly clip in her hair, purchased at a retail cost of $1.99, but precious to her beyond belief, not for its cost or contribution to her appearance, but its source.

The girl's walk was bold and purposeful, daring onlookers both to look and to look away, as she strode to baggage claim, not missing a step as she carried on a phone conversation with her friend back home.

/"I simply can not believe this is happening, Helga,"/ Rhonda gushed. /"To think, Teen Miss Online would send _me_ to cover Gabriel Agreste's new line of swimsuits! I just can _not_ get over it!"/

/"_I can't believe your parents let you go on your own_,"/ remarked Helga.

/"Well, you know… they probably trust that I am _mature_ enough to handle myself on my own. Actually, I think daddy's just gratified that TMO's footing the bill so he doesn't have to. Though his credit card will be getting a workout… if I find the time to shop, that is. This is _technically _a working vacation after all."/

/"_My heart bleeds. I couldn't imagine the torture of being in Paris, on someone else's dime and horror of horrors, not getting in shopping time! You lead a charmed life, Princess."_/

/"Jealous much?"/ Rhonda teased.

/"_Hardly,_"/ denied Helga. /"_What interest would I have in the city of romance…_"/ Her voice took on a dreamy quality. /"_…art… the finest pastries known to man…_"/ Rhonda grinned, knowing her friend couldn't see it. The girl might put on the appearance of being a stone-cold bitch, but Rhonda knew that at heart, Helga had the romantic soul of a poet. And the appetite of a sumo wrestler.

/"Tell you what, Hellcat,"/ Rhonda promised. /"If I find a good patisserie, I promise to send you enough sweets to potentially put you in a diabetic coma."/

/"_I knew there was a reason I let you hang out with me, -huh? What's that? Oh, Arnold says that if you see the Pigeon Man, tell him hi from him_." /

/"Well, I wasn't exactly planning to go looking for the guy… I mean, doesn't he like, not talk to people ever? But sure, if I run into one aviator-helmet-wearing rando among the two-odd-million people here, I promise I'll say hi."/

* * *

Not far away in the reception area of the airport, Adrien Agreste waited. Handsome by any standard, and every bit as intelligent as he was good-looking, the boy, with his unruly blond hair and sparkling green eyes was one of the most well-known faces in Paris, the envy of the boys and the desire of the girls. Which was why he was currently clad in a hoodie and sunglasses, hoping to not attract the usual attention.

He thought back on how he had first met the Rhonda, over five years ago. It had been at a reception at the Louvre, and with the adults all occupied with their own business, the children were ignored and forced to find their own fun. And so, he had found himself in the company of one Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. At first he had found the girl to be overly snooty, conceited and self-absorbed, showing very little interest in anything but talking about herself and her family's wealth, but as they spent more time together she began to let her façade drop and act more natural. Since the two both found the reception to be dreadfully boring, they decided to entertain themselves by taking their own tour of the museum, taking turns coming up with funny interpretations of the various installations (though Adrien wondered if, in fact, Rodin's _Thinker _actually originally _was _titled "I Shouldn't Have Ordered the Chili".)

They'd gotten together a few more times during her stay over the next few days , during which time she also befriended his only other friend at the time, Chloe Bourgeois. Adrien had to confess that he'd developed a bit of a crush on the raven-haired girl by the time she'd had to leave (he mother had gotten food poisoning from tainted foie gras at a party at Chloe's father's hotel, and after a full day of vomiting, she was pretty much _done_ with Paris), but with the unlikelihood of them ever seeing each other again, he managed to put it out of his head. They had corresponded for a while via Skype and e-mail, but due to Adrien's increasingly busy schedule, the two had fallen out of touch until she had contacted him just yesterday, letting him know that she was going to be in Paris and woudn't it be nice if we could meet up? Apparently, her fashion Vlog had amassed so many followers that she was considered an "influencer", and she'd been tapped by Teen Miss Online to cover his father's show tomorrow. Of course, at this point Adrien had gotten over her years ago, but he was still pleased to hear from her after so long, and pledged to pick her up from the airport, saving her and her patron the price of a cab.

A rustle from his pocket interrupted his train of thought. A tiny figure resembling a small black cat poked his head out and yawned. "Don't tell me she's _still _not here," he whined.

"Checking out your baggage takes time, Plagg," Adrien chided the _kwami_ (yes, as you may guess, this creature was cousin to the aforementioned Tikki and like her, bound to an item of great power… but again, we will discuss that later).

"What's so special about this girl anyway… does her father own a Camembert farm?"

"I swear, you have the most specific one-track mind ever," grumbled Adrien.

"Hey, stranger," a voice came from behind. Adrien whirled to face his ex-crush, who returned the favor by crushing _him_ in a tight hug. _Funny, I don't remember her being a hugger, _Adrien thought.

"Rhonda. You've, uh… you've changed," he said. She'd been pretty back then, of course, but now she was downright stunning. Not the least of it was her smile, genuine now and not haughty.

"Yeah, puberty'll do that," she remarked, smirking. "Speaking of, look at _you_, handsome. Honestly, I thought _I'd_ be the one who was the supermodel by now."

"You certainly talked about it enough," Adrien teased. To be honest, while he was truly over Rhonda, he couldn't help but wonder if she had found someone. "So… how's life in the states treating you? Anything exciting going on?"

"You mean, besides a Vlog so successful that a major publication flew me out to Paris? I know what you're really asking, hot stuff," she chided, wagging a finger. "Yes, there _is_ someone in my life."

"You got me," Adrien admitted. "So, what's his name?"

"_Her_ name is Nadine and she makes every day a treasure, thank you very much. What about you, Blondie? Surely someone has snatched up a catch like you by now."

Adrien sighed. The truth was, he did have his eye on someone… someone very special. Unfortunately, that someone had about as much interest in him as a cat had in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. "Sadly… still single."

"Oh, come on. What about Chloe? You two were thick as thieves back then."

"Uh… No, I'm not with Chloe,"

"Aw,, that's a shame, you two would have made a cute couple."

"Eh… I never really thought of her that way…" _Certainly not these days_, Adrien added mentally. While she had indeed been pretty much his only friend in his lonely, isolated youth, and he still had a certain fondness for her based on those days, in truth, he had to acknowledge that Chloe had long since become a spoiled, conceited brat. It was only his hope that someday she'd regain some of her kindness that made him continue to count her as a friend.

Adrien was eager to change the subject, lest he be forced to warn Rhonda that her old friend was not the girl she used to be. "So, I see you packed light," he teased, noting the three massive suitcases on the dolly behind her.

"Of course," she joked back. "It's a short trip, so I only packed the absolute essentials."

He pulled out his cell phone. "You know… the shoot's not 'til tomorrow. How about I have Gilbert deliver your baggage to the hotel," he nodded toward his hulking chauffeur, who silently took possession of Rhonda's luggage, "and that'll free us up to just… hang out? I was gonna go meet my friends after this… maybe you could join us?"

Rhonda yawned. "Actually, I'm kinda tuckered out from the trip… I think I need to settle in at the hotel for a bit. But maybe I can meet up with you later on?"

"That works for me. I have a feeling you'll get along with them great."

* * *

Rhonda Lloyd surveyed the hotel room TMO had arranged for her. It wasn't the best _L'Hotel Bourgeoise_ had to offer, but she could hardly look a free hotel room in the mouth. Besides, it offered what she most needed right now: privacy.

You see, it wasn't just Marinette and Adrien who had secrets. Rhonda herself was concealing one of her own, and it was a doozy.

Once alone in her room, she shed her jacket, revealing two slits in the back of her top. She removed her boots, freeing her feet from their constraints. Next, she closed her eyes and relaxed, as her skin shifted from its ordinary hue to a vivid mauve. The third and fourth fingers of each hand melted together, while her five toed per foot merged down to two. Her nails all turned black and grew into claws. A pair spurs sprouted from her back through the slits in her top, unfolding into large, draconic wings. A lithe, fur-tipped tail snaked out from her spine through a similar opening in her pants, and a second pair of arms sprouted just below her first. Her canines extended into fangs, her tongue turned bright blue and split at the tip, her ears tapered to points, horns extended from the crown of her skull, and her eyes, now gold and boasting vertical pupils, were joined by a third opening in her forehead.

This was Rhonda's secret… some two years after meeting Adrien, an alien virus had caused her to mutate into this strange form, and while she'd made good use of the power her new form had granted her in her career as the superhero Joule, and while could still take on a human form when she needed, from time to time she was inconvenienced by her need to regularly revert to this form to rest her cells. She didn't have to do it for too long, but she couldn't exactly hang out with Adrien's friends looking like this, could she?

In the meantime, she had a hotel room all to herself. She flopped down on the bed and flipped on the TV, which was tuned to the news station, reporting on the most recent exploit by Paris's resident superhero team, Ladybug and Cat Noir. Seems they had foiled the scheme of Punchline, a comedy-themed villain who'd paralyzed half the city in laughter before being finally taken down.

_Wouldn't mind getting a chance getting to work with those two, _she mused.

After all, while this was a working vacation, there was no reason she couldn't have _some_ fun.

* * *

**A.N. Well, I've finally gotten to this story, which has been in the planning stages for well over a year and a half! It's my first time writing the Miraculous cast; I hope I did okay with them.**

**If you're wondering "Why the heck is Rhonda a purple monster girl", you might want to check out the other stories in the **_**Weird Sisters**_** series, beginning with Body Issues (which contains a crossover with, and spoilers for, the series **_**Gravity Falls**_**, so fair warning). **

**Adrien's chauffer hasn't been given a name in the series as far as I know, so I chose Gilbert in honor of his French VA Gilbert Levy.**

**Next: A villain! A team-up! Stay tuned!**


	2. Enter the Villain

Chapter 2:

Enter the Villain

_Universit__é__ Sorbonne_

"You… you can't do this to me! I have given this university the best years of my life!" Professor Gerard Cheval protested.

"I-I'm afraid we have very little choice, Prof. Cheval," the Dean explained. "There have been numerous complaints from both students and faculty about your… shall we say, methods? I'm very sorry… but as of now, I'm afraid we have to let you go."

"It is not my fault that the students are too stupid to properly appreciate my lessons! I should not have to be the one to suffer for their failure!"

"I'm sorry, but these are some very serious complaints. We simply cannot keep you on our faculty at this time. Now…. If you would, please clean out your office."

* * *

Cheval regarded the box on his desk. Years of service to the university… years of shaping young minds… reduced to this.

He picked up the pointer that he'd used to illustrate his points on the blackboard. For years, it had been the instrument with which he'd passed on knowledge to the next generation. Now, it was just another thing to be packed away in this box.

Imperceptible to human eyes, a tiny black butterfly, drawn by Cheval's feelings of anger and betrayal, flew toward the pointer and alit on it. Upon contact, the butterfly, or _akuma_ as it was called, merged with the object and infused it with its dark energy.

And, as if a switch was flipped, Cheval _knew _that he deserved revenge. And he didn't care who had to suffer to make it happen.

"_Headmaster,_" a sinister voice resounded in his head. "_I am Hawk Moth, and let's say I have taken an interest in academia._ _For years, students have failed to take heed of your lessons. Now, you shall teach this city a lesson it shall never forget!_"

"Yes," Cheval declared, fist clenched. "I'll give them all a master class in suffering!"

"All I ask in return is that you defeat Labybug and Cat Noir, and bring me the source of their power," the voice demanded. An image appeared in Cheval… no, _Headmaster's_ mind, a pair of red polka-dot ear studs and a ring imprinted with a cat's paw logo. "Their _Miraculous_."

"A small price to pay for the opportunity to shape the minds of the future," Cheval agreed, as dark energies enveloped and transformed him.

* * *

_Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum_

"Isn't it amazing?" gushed Alya. "They have heroes from all over the world here!"

"I don't know," Marinette answered. "I've always found wax statues to be… kind of creepy. Don't let me stop you from fangirling, though." In truth, what really put her off was the large, lifelike statue of Ladybug, one-half of Paris's premiere crimefighting duo.

For, you see, Marinette herself was Ladybug. The _Kwami_ in her purse was tied to the earrings she wore, the source of her powers. And while she was proud to serve, large ostentatious tributes like these were kind of embarrassing.

"As if anyone could! I mean… look at this collection!" She indicated a figure of a male in a black-and-brown tiger-themed uniform, and his partner, a blue-haired woman in a heavy-metal-rock-inspired outfit, wielding a guitar like a weapon.

"El Tigre and Thrash," read Nino off the plaque next to the exhibit.

"They're based in Miracle City, Mexico," elaborated Alya, grateful for any chance to expound on her favorite subject. "She has an enchanted guitar that she won from the Queen of the Dead, and he gets tiger-related powers from his belt-buckle."

"A boy-girl duo protecting a city, one of them cat-themed…" joked Nino. "Sounds kind of familiar."

"What sounds familiar?" asked a familiar voice.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Adrien," Nino remarked sardonically. "So, where's this new old friend of yours?"

"Rhonda was tired from the trip," Adrien explained, "But she promised to meet up with us later. I think you guys'll like her." He looked around. "So, superhero exhibit, huh? I assume Alya's giving us the guided tour."

"Naturally," admitted Alya, moving on to a muscular blue-and-gold-clad superhero with a rather ridiculous looking yellow cowl-and-mask combo. "Here, we have the UK's superhero, Banan-"

"Oh, ADRI-KINS!" a shrill voice called out.

Marinette groaned inwardly. Of all the people to intrude today…

Chloe Bourgeois, spoiled, obnoxious daughter of Paris's mayor and wealthiest resident, shoved her way through the crowd. "There you are." She threw her arms around Adrien, much to his clear discomfort. "Thank you so much for inviting me along today!"

"I… just said hi to you outside," protested Adrien.

"Yes, but ours is an unspoken bond," gushed the snooty blonde. "You don't need to invite me to come inside with you, because the two of us are so close I can practically sense it!"

_Ugh, if I have to listen to much more of this, I'm going to have to start seeing a dentist for teeth-grinding, _thought Marinette.

Adrien cleared his throat. "Anyway, I think Alya was about to tell us about Bana-"

"BO-RING," Chloe declared. "How about we ditch this place and go somewhere that isn't totally _lame_?"

Unseen, Marinette rolled her eyes. She knew full well that Chloe was a huge Ladybug fangirl, possibly even as big as Alya.

"There's nothing lame about superheroes!" protested Alya, understandably upset that her life's passion had been insulted. "They're out there risking their lives to protect the people!"

"More like embarrassing themselves," Chloe scoffed. "I mean… look at that one!" She gestured dismissively at a statue of an American hero named Joule. "She's a literal monster. How does she even leave the house looking like she does?"

Marinette could see Adrien bristle visibly at Chloe's display of narrow-mindedness. "You really shouldn't judge people by how they look, Chloe," he scolded.

"Why not? I mean, sure, not everyone can be as perfect as me, but they could at least make the effort."

"Who cares?" Marinette snapped back. "So she's purple! So she has some extra body parts! She still does her best to help the people of her city! I… I bet someone like Ladybug would be proud to work with someone like her if she got that chance!"

"She'd probably be a great interview, too," commented Alya. "I've heard she's really charming in person."

"Hmmph," huffed Chloe, turning up her nose. "Well, there's no accounting for taste, I suppose, C'mon, Adrikins, let's lose these losers and you can go buy me an ice cream."

"Actually… I promised Nino I'd hang out with him today. Maybe some other time," Adrien replied unenthusiastically. Even he had had his limit of Chloe for the day, it seemed.

"Well, if you get tired of slumming it, I'm sure you know where to find me," Chloe retorted, turning her back and strutting out, much to Marinette's relief.

Now, if only she was able to speak a full, coherent sentence to Adrien, she'd be sitting pretty.

"So… which one's your favorite, Marinette?" he asked.

"The… um… Cape…. Guy… Man?" Off to the side, Alya facepalmed, hard.

Looks like today wasn't the day.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

A bizarre figure floated above the streets of Paris, a gaunt man with a pale green complexion, clad in academic robes and a mortarboard hat, wielding a long pointer stick.

"So, let _me_ go, will they?" he declared to no one and everyone. "Well, fine! The university was holding me back, anyway! Now, all of Paris shall be my classroom! You there!" He indicated a passerby with his pointer. "Tell me the melting point of lead!"

"Um… I… don't know?" the man answered, confused. "I mean, if you give me a chance to look it up…"

"You are unprepared! You FAIL!" He gestured with his pointer as if it was a magic want. A bolt flew from it towards the unlucky man, who froze in his tracks, an F appearing on his forehead. "Such is the penalty for ignorance in my classroom!" He turned his attention to a woman who had just witnessed the exchange. "You! Atomic weight of zinc!"

"How am I supposed to just know that off the top of my head?" she protested indignantly. "I mean, I could probably check my phone for the answer…"

"Cheating will not be tolerated! FAIL!" declared the Headmaster, paralyzing her as well, then flying off in search of more victims.

* * *

_L'Hotel Bourgeois_

/"I really wish I could have taken you with me, Nadine,"/ lamented Rhonda to her girlfriend, with whom she was Face-Timing on her phone.

/"_Oh, sure… you and me, alone in a hotel on another continent with no adult supervision. Even my parents would balk at that_,"/ teased Nadine.

/"I think you might have a point there,"/ agreed Rhonda. /"My dad would probably have an even bigger heart attack then he will when he sees my long-distance bill. Speaking of… how _is_ Jamaica?"/

/"_Oh, it's great! I saw a Jaeger's Anetia today. They're one of the more elusive nymphalid butterfly species. They can have a pretty varied range of wing patterns…_"/

/"I meant, like, how's the family, how's the surf, but… I guess Nadine gonna Nadine no matter where she is."/

/"_Oh, sorry… it's just, you know how I get when I see a species I've never see before. Anyway, it's been nice seeing Grandma again, and the weather's been perfect for butterfly-spotting. What about you… shop yourself raw yet?_"/

/"Hardly. I just got to the hotel a half-hour ago, and I had to revert after the plane ride. Adrien invited me to hang with his friends today, then tomorrow of got the shoot to cover, and the next day I'm going home. Not a ton of time just for myself…."/

/"_So, this Adrien… handsome guy, huh?_"/ Nadine prodded.

/"I mean, if you're into the male model type,"? I downplayed.

/"_If I was an insecure girl, I'd be very upset that you were spending time around him. If I was an insecure girl_."/

/"Oh, you know there's no competition, Butterfly."/ Her fingers drifted to the clip in her hair, a gift from Nadine just before they'd departed on their respective trips. /"A bit of you is always with me."/

/"_I can't believe you're still wearing that,_"/ Nadine marveled. /"_I bought it at 'Everything's Two Bucks or Less'. I'm pretty sure it's so cheap they legally can't call the stuff it's made out of plastic_."/

/"Of course I'm still wearing it! For you, I'd wear a fez, tutu and clown shoes combo! I'd wear…. white after Labor Day for you!"

/"Wow, you really are serious."/ joked Nadine.

/"Hell yeah I-"/ Rhonda had the news station on in the background while taking to Nadine, only vaguely aware of it, but the sting of a breaking report suddenly seized her attention; as a superhero, she instinctually found herself paying attention to such things. /"Hold up, sweetheart…"/ She shifted her attention to the TV.

"This is Nadia Chamack." The reporter announced. "I am here near on site at Champs-Elysees, where an individual calling himself the Headmaster, likely yet another victim of Hawk Moth's akumas, is terrorizing the citizenry by…" she looked offscreen…. "are you kidding me? He's asking people chemistry questions and paralyzing anyone who can't answer? I swear, these villains are getting stranger and stranger…"

"You there! Reporter!" a voice called from offscreen. "Name the six noble gases!"

"Oh! Uh… let's see… there's neon… helium… I know one of them reminds me of Superman…"

"FAIL!" A beam struck the reporter, freezing her in place and marking her forehead with an F.

/"_What's going on over there?_"/ Nadine asked, unable to see or hear the news.

/"Trouble on the Champs-Elysees."/ answered Rhonda. She dug around in her luggage for a hidden compartment, designed to be undetectable by airport scanners. From within, the violet-skinned mutant fished out a distinctive red-gold-and-navy outfit with a customized eyeshield. /"It looks like I'll be getting some quality time in Paris's finest shopping district after all."

* * *

By now, the commotion had reached the street outside Madame Toussaud's. Noting the commotion, Marinette made a hasty exit. Once secluded, she released her _kwami _from her handbag. "Looks like trouble, Tikki," she said. "Spots on." Instantaneously, the sprite merged with her earings, and the girl was enveloped in a form-fitting red bodysut and matching mask, complete with a grappling yo-yo for swift transport.

Simultaneously, Adrien also excused himself, ostensibly to use the bathroom. Once inside, he roused his own _kwami_ from his slumber in his jacket pocket.

"Uhhhh…" whined Plagg. "I told you to wake me only if it's the end of the world or if someone put out a cheese platter."

"Well, no such luck on the second one. But… well, it's probably not the end of the world, but we do have ourselves a villain problem. Claws out!"

Upon speaking his two-word command, Adrien's outfit was transformed into a black uniform with matching mask and seemingly superfluous cat ears and golden bell at his collar. For Adrien was, in fact, Paris's other resident superhero, Cat Noir.

The two, exiting from opposite sides of the building and taking different routes through the streets, converging at the Headmaster's location.

"Looks like school's back in session," remarked Cat Noir.

"Hopefully, it's obedience school. You could use it," snarked Ladybug. For, irony of ironies… while Marinette was head-over heels for Adrien, she was completely unaware of his double identity… and utterly indifferent to his super-powered alter-ego, who, compounding the irony into some kind of super-mega-ultra-irony, was utterly smitten with her own, and made no secret of it.

"You're thinking of dogs, m'lady," the Cat replied smoothly. "We cats aren't known for following the rules."

Ladybug groaned. "Less jokes, more crimefighting." The two descended on the scene, where the Headmaster had, by sheer coincidence, cornered none other than Chloe.

"You!" he demanded. "What is the chemical composition of common table salt?"

"Pfft." dismissed the haughty girl. "I don't even bother with that kind of thing when I'm _in_ school, do you think I'm going to care now?"

"Talking back to the teacher is not tolerated in my classroom! You FAIL!" The Headmaster flicked his pointer out at the bratty blonde and fired his paralysis beam. Chloe, realizing that maybe provoking the villain hadn't been the best idea, braced for the hit, but was yanked out of its path at the last second by Ladybug's yo-yo.

"You wrinkled my sweater," she complained, ever ungrateful.

_Next time I'm letting her get frozen_, Ladybug told herself.

"You!" the Headmaster declared. "Interfering in the discipline of another student! FAIL!" He fired, but Ladybug nimbly evaded it.

'Sorry, Headmaster," she quipped, "but if you're in charge, consider me a drop-out!"

"Delinquency! FAIL!" He fired again and again, coming closer each time until he had a nearly point-blank shot. He would have finally nailed Ladybug, had not Cat Noir deflected his aim with a swing of his baton.

The Headmaster whirled. "You! Name all the halogens!"

"Flourine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. " the Cat rattled off smugly. "Most people forget the last one."

"Very good…." The Headmaster said, grinning… "except you still forgot TENNESSINE!"

"Aw, come on, they didn't even name that one until a few years ago!"

"Ignorance is not tolerated in my classroom! FAIL!" He fired his paralysis beam at Cat Noir; Ladybug, thinking quickly, flung her yo-yo into the beam's path, deflecting it in another direction…. Which, unfortunately intersected with a bus driver. Paralyzed, he was unable to remove his foot from the accelerator, and the bus careened down the street, out of control, running the light and barreling down on the always-hapless Chloe, who had not left the scene like she should have, but stuck around to watch her secret idol Ladybug in action. And with both our heroes occupied with dodging the Headmaster and trying to keep other bystanders out of danger, it looked as though her umber had finally come up.

Suddenly…

"Look, up in the sky!" remarked one of said bystanders.

"It's a bat!" added another.

"In the middle of the day? Are you crazy? It's probably a drone!"

"No, it's-"

And with a heavy thud, a violet, winged, blue-and-red-figure planted herself in the bus's path. Steeling herself for the impact, she held her four hands out to catch the bus, using her superhuman strength to brace the vehicle, slowing its forward momentum until it finally stopped, mere inches away from Chloe.

The wealthy girl looked up, realizing the very superheroine whose appearance she'd insulted in the museum had just saved her life.

"You know, there are way easier ways to catch a bus," she joked.

"Not that I'm not grateful for the help, but aren't you a bit far from home, Joule?" Cat Noir asked, landing nearby after a dodge.

"Superheroes take vacations too, kitty cat," she replied, smiling. "Though this seems to be turning into a working vacation… speaking of which, shouldn't you guys be wrapping this up?"

"You!" The Headmaster had taken notice of the newcomer. "Name a chemical catalyst!"

"Oh, I know this one," Joule answered, voltage crackling around her fingers. "Electricity!"

"Corre-" The Headmaster realized too late that her answer was really just the setup-quip for an attack, as she hurled a stun-bolt of her own at the villain. He barely dodged the attack, aiming his pointer at the mutant girl. "Attacking the teacher! FAIL!" He fired at the two heroes, scattering them.

"This has gone on far enough. School's out! LUCKY CHARM!" Ladybug launched her yo-yo into the air; it released, of all things, a custard pie in a red polka-dot tin. _Guess luck has a sense of humor today, _she thought. Her signature power, which would instantly conjure up an object to aid victory, could definitely be random at times. _Oh well, you play with the hand you're dealt. _Chuckling inwardly at the absurdity of it all, she flung the pie directly at the Headmaster's face, hitting it with a satisfying _splat_.

"Slapstick is the lowest form of comedy! You FAIL!" the Headmaster sputtered through a face full of custard and whipped cream, swinging his pointer blindly looking for a target.

"Sorry, but class is no longer in session," declared Cat Noir. "CATACLYSM!" His hand, now charged with destructive force, lunged for the pointer, instantly disintegrating it on contact and releasing the _akuma_ within. Smoothly, Ladybug whipped her yo-yo out and swung it to capture the dark butterfly, purging it of its evil and releasing the now- cleansed butterfly to its freedom. With his corrupted object now destroyed, Professor Cheval once more reverted to a now-unemployed science teacher.

"Well, that's done," Joule commented with a bit of uncertainty, "but his victims are still frozen. How are we going to restore them to normal?"

"Just wait," Cat Noir replied. "This is my favorite part."

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" Ladybug declared, hurling what was left of the pie into the air. It exploded into a swarm of sparkling ladybugs that swept over the city, restoring the frozen victims to normal and repairing any damage that had been done, right down to the imprints Joule's hands had left in the front of the bus. Even Cheval's destroyed pointer was restored.

"Well, that's awfully convenient," marveled Joule. "Could you teach me how to do that?"

"Afraid that's a trade secret," Ladybug replied. "But thanks for your help." She held out a fist in her direction.

"Wow… am I being included in the traditional post-victory 'pound it'?"

"You've earned it," Cat Noir confirmed, holding out his own fist.

"Well, far be it from me to turn down a three-way," Joule replied with a smirk as she returned their fist-bump, causing Cat Noir to stifle a snicker and Ladybug's cheeks to turn almost as red as her uniform.

"Um… anyway," she said… "If we're all done here…"

"Wait, what do we do with that guy?" inquired Joule, indicating the recovering Cheval.

"Akumatized villains never remember their actions, so it's pretty pointless to punish them," explained Cat Noir. "Especially seeing as there's never any permanent damage anyway."

"I wish it was so easy where I come from," Joule replied. "Crimefighting tends to be a bit more messy when we're done. Anyway… I'm just glad I got the opportunity to work with Paris's cutest superhero."

"While I'm always flattered by the attentions of a lovely lady," Cat Noir replied graciously, "I'm afraid this cat's heart belongs only to my one-and-only Bugaboo."

"I never said it was you, kitty-kat," retorted Joule, raising her visor to deliver a wink to Ladybug, who felt herself blushing even harder.

She was never so grateful to hear the telltale beep of her power running out (for those who don't know, once a Miraculous bearer uses their signature ability, a countdown starts until they're forced to transform back to normal). "Oops, looks like my time' almost up… Gotta bug out!"

"Yeah, I'd better pussyfoot it outta here myself," joked Cat Noir.

"Yeah, cat ya later!" Joule echoed.

"I hope we have claws to meet up again soon," added Cat Noir, clearly happy to have someone who appreciated his puns.

"Oh, brother," Ladybug muttered.

"Oh c'mon… we're just kitten around!" Joule quipped as Ladybug swung off. One flirtatious punster was enough… two was way too many.

* * *

_Eleswhere…_

In a dark room illuminated only by a single stained-glass oculus window, a tall, sinister man in a dark suit and silver cowl scowled.

Once again, Hawk Moth's gambit to retrieve Ladybug and Cat Noir's totems had failed. He'd grown used to failure…. After all, he learned from each one, and in truth, he actually had the easier time of it. They had to win every time… he would only have to win once.

This foreign superhero, however… this was an unwelcome development. He knew how Ladybug and Cat Noir worked together, how they reacted to situations. He was used to him. Joule, on the other hand, was a wild card. He knew very little about her abilities or her methods.

He would have to find some way to deal with her…

..or, perhaps, use her…

"Dark wings in", he spoke, reverting from his costumed form to his everyday civilian identity, knowing such things would have to wait.

After all, Hawk Moth's work was done for the day, but Gabriel Agreste had a fashion show to prepare for.

* * *

**A.N.: Yes, spoiler alert… for two seasons ago. Anyway, I apologize for going a little too heavy on exposition in this chapter, but I know not everyone reading this is going to be familiar with the lore of **_**Miraculous Ladybug**_**, so I tried to provide as much as possible. **

**Anyway, because I forgot to do this last chapter: **_**Hey Arnold**_** and all related characters were created by Craig Bartlett and are © Nickelodeon; **_**Miraculous Ladybug**_** and all related characters were created by Thomas Astruc and are © Zagtoons; El Tigre and all related characters were created by Jorge Gutierez and Sandra Equihua and are © Nickelodeon; and the character that never gets fully named (can you guess who?) was created by Steve Bright, Dave Donaldson and John Geering and I have no idea who owns him.**

**Jose: Talk about Dark Arnold…**

**Next: Rhonda meets the gang (unaware she already met a couple of them), and finds out just how much Chloe has changed since they last met.**


	3. Tension

Chapter 3

Tension

With the menace of the day dispatched and her exit made, Marinette swung off to find a hidden alcove near the museum where she could, undisturbed, return to her civilian identity.

"Spots off," she said once alone, as her costume reverted to her ordinary garb and her _kwami_ emerged from her earrings, exhausted.

"Good work, Tikki," she said, offering the little sprite a chocolate macaron from her purse.

"Thanks… could you make it a peanut butter one next time?" she asked.

"Oh, c'mon, do you really want to work for peanuts?" Marinette joked as Tikki retreated back to the depths of her purse. Making sure the coast was clear, Marinette slipped back into the museum.

"The perfect crime," she whispered to herself.

"There you are!" a voice spoke from behind, startling the girl.

"Oh, hey, Alya," she replied, mortified.

"You and Adrien disappeared on us! For a minute, I thought you two snuck out on us together, but then I remembered you're _you. _No way you could go off alone with him and not go catatonic."

"Oh, uh, you know… when nature calls…" Marinette lied.

"See, that's funny, because that's the first place I looked for you…"

"Oh, uh, well, I didn't use the one here, I went to the one in the café across the street. I like that one better."

"Hmm… seems pretty risky with a supervillain on the loose, but I guess logic doesn't always figure into these things…"

"Exactly, now let's drop all this evasive questioning and get back to hanging out. I believe you were giving us a guided tour of the superhero section…"

"Oh, speaking of…" Alya interrupted excitedly. "You'll never guess who just showed up in Paris! That American superheroine Joule just showed up out of nowhere to help Ladybug and Cat Noir with their latest villain!"

"Wow, you don't say," I replied, feigning surprise… after all, I'd just been there.

"See for yourself," Alya elaborated, bringing up a news video on her phone.

"_Nadia Chamack here_," the reporter began, "_on the scene at yet another villain attack. The so-called Headmaster, of whom this reporter was a victim, was defeated not only by Ladybug and Cat Noir, but by a surprise third superhero… Hillwood, USA's own living generator, Joule_." The camera shifted, revealing a violet-skinned, multiarmed, winged figure clad in scarlet, posing for a selfie with a young bystander. "_Uh, miss? Can we get a quick statement from you?_"

"_Certainly, Ms. Chamack_," she said.

"_Well, it is quite a surprise to see you here_, so far away from your home." the reporter said. "_Are you planning to relocate, or just visiting?_"

"_Just visiting, though I must say, Paris has been very welcoming_. _And it was quite a treat getting to work with Paris's greatest heroes_."

"_Well, for however long you're here, we're grateful to have you. Uh…_" She blushed. "_It wouldn't be unprofessional of me to ask you for your autograph, would it? It's for my daughter, Manon…_"

"_Of course not_!" The superheroine accepted a pad from the reporter and quickly scribbled something. "_I hope I spelled 'Manon' right. Anyway, I should be going, this was supposed to be my vacation after all!_" And with that, the teen mutant launched herself back into the air.

"_Joule, taking time out for her fans. What a class act. This is Nadia Chamack, reminding you all to pay attention in class… you never know when a supervillain will start giving pop quizzes_."

"Well, I guess Nadia beat me to getting an interview, but who knows? As long as she's in town, I might just get my chance," Alya hoped.

"Stranger things have happened," Marinette answered noncommittally. She wondered if, on the off-chance that she did run into the American superheroine again, Ladybug could somehow persuade her to sit for an interview for Alya's LadyVlog. It would be the least she could do for her friend. She figured she could endure a bit of flirting for her sake.

"Anyway," continued Alya, "hopefully Nino found Adrien by now and we can get back to the tour. Oh, speak of the devil and up he pops!"

We had by now returned to the main gallery, and Nino and Adrien indeed were there, joined by a newcomer, a tall, pretty girl with dark hair clad in a red-and-black ensemble.

"There you two are!" Nino called.

"Guys," Adrien spoke up. "This is that old friend of mine from the States I was telling you about. Her name's Rhonda Lloyd. Her mother was one of my dad's first models."

Pretty, exotically foreign, and she has history with his family, an insecure voice in the back of Marinette's head spoke.

"Hello, everyone," the girl said cordially. "Let me see if I have this right…" She turned to face each of the group in succession. "Nino LaHiffe, DJ extraordinaire…"

"At your service, milady," Nino replied, mock-bowing.

"Reel it in, hotshot," Alya said, elbowing him.

"And you must be Alya Césare, the famed host of LadyVlog."

"That's correct," she said,

"And, you are… Marinette duPain-Cheng, right? Adrien's spoken very highly of you in particular."

"H-he has?" Marinette stammered nervously.

"Yes, he said you're quite the artist and designer. If you're even half as creative as he claims, I'd really love have a look at your work sometime."

"U-um, well, I don't exactly have my portfolio here, but maybe later you could come by and have a look?"

"I'd like that. As a fashion vlogger, I'm always on the lookout for people with new ideas."

"Well, uh, thanks," Marinette replied. Honestly, she was uncertain just what to make of the new girl. When Adrien'd mentioned he was going to introduce them to his old friend from America, she'd been almost positive that she was going to turn out to be another Chloe… vain, shallow, self-absorbed and stuck up. And, granted, she'd now known the girl for a mere two minutes, but despite the slight air of aristocracy that the girl spoke with, Marinette sensed a sort of genuine friendliness within her, an unfeigned interest in others and their passions that she simply had not expected.

"So," prompted Nino, "How did you get to know Adrien, anyway?"

"Oh, it's a tale as old as time, really. Young girl, dragged to boring adult party by parents. She puts on this whole air of being mature and sophisticated, but in reality, she's just a kid, and she wants to hang out with other kids and have fun, not stand around and be a mini-adult while her parents talk boring adult stuff with other boring adults. And then this little girl, who's just at the age where boys start to stop being icky and gross and start being kind of intriguing actually, meets this very handsome, very charming local boy, a lifeline in a sea of stuffy grownup stuff, who shows her _his _Paris. And for those few days that she was there, she truly understood just why it was called the City of Love." A dreamy look settled over her eyes. "But, alas, time is fleeting, and before long my family was moving on. And while our time together was short, I still look back on it fondly. Of course, that was probably all in my head," she added, attention shifting back to the present.

"Actually," Adrien admitted, rubbing the back of his head embarrassedly, "I kinda did have a bit of a thing for you back then. In fact, I think I'd say you were probably my very first crush."

"Aw," Rhonda gushed. "I feel flattered, honestly. Who knows… if things turned out different, maybe something could've developed."

"Yeah, who knows? Anything is possible."

Terrific… not only was Rhonda pretty and charming, it turns out she was Adrien's first love! How was she supposed to compete with that? Panic arose, and Marinette began to look around for an out to regroup.

"Oooh," she groaned, feigning a stomach cramp. "I think breakfast may not be agreeing with me. Gottago!" She dashed out.

Once out of sight, she opened her purse. "This is bad, Tikki… very bad!" she complained. "How am I supposed to measure up to this new girl? Its not enough that she's rich, gorgeous, and charismatic… nooo, she also has to be Adrien's very first crush! I can't compete with that sort of thing!"

"She seems like a very nice girl to me, Marinette," replied Tikki.

"Exactly! This isn't like competing with Chloe. I know what to expect from _her_. Rhonda is a wild card! She seems perfectly nice and charming, but who knows? Maybe she's got some secret dark side, and she's just here to get her hooks back into Adrien."

"What would the point of that be?" Tikki asked. "Even if they somehow did rekindle their old romance, isn't she just going back home to America in a couple of days anyway?"

"So she says… but maybe that's just a cover. Maybe she's thinking of staying here. I'm sure she could afford it."

"Jealousy isn't a good look for you, Marinette," Tikki warned. I think you're making assumptions you shouldn't and using them to jump to conclusions. Maybe if you got to know Rhonda a little better, you'd find she's no threat to you."

Marinette sighed, acknowledging the logic in her _kwami's_ words. "I know. I swear, sometimes my imagination just runs away with me."

"Exactly! I'm sure once she comes over to see your designs, I'm sure you'll find that you have a lot more in common than you think."

"Yes…" Marinette's eyes narrowed, her lips curling into a smirk, "And then she'll lower her guard, and I can find out what she's really up to!"

"Oh dear," groaned Tikki.

* * *

While Marinette had run off to have her conversation with Tikki, Rhonda found herself bombarded with questions from her friends, mainly what life was like back in Hillwood, Alya seemed particularly interested in the fact that her hometown was host to several superheroes of its own. Rhonda had to tread very carefully here, seeing as she _was_ one of those superheroes herself.

"I really don't see the big deal," she said, attempting to steer the conversation away from the topic. "You just sorta see them flying overhead sometimes, and others they'll turn up on the news, or someone'll post a video online. They're not really a huge factor in my life, really."

"But aren't they just so fascinating… the costumes, the powers… I hear the ones in your town are actually space aliens!"

"Well, half-alien" Rhonda corrected. "Or at least that's what they said in some old interview. Honestly, I barely remember."

"Still, not only are they superheroes, they're proof of extra-terrestrial life!" Alya exclaimed. "One of them's in the city this very moment, you know. I would _kill_ to get an interview with her."

"…metaphorically, right?" joked Nino.

"Maybe," Alya replied ominously. "You never know just what you'll do when an opportunity presents itself."

"…anyway! It seems much more exciting here. You guys actually get real supervillains!"

"Some of us have _been_ supervillains," Nino elaborated.

"Me, him… pretty much everyone I've known, actually," added Alya.

"Really?" Rhonda asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kind of a reality of life in this city," Nino explained. "At any moment, any one Paris could become corrupted by one of Hawkmoth's akumas."

"Is… that something I should worry about?" Rhonda asked, alarmed. She remembered the time an evil entity had possessed her friend Lila's body. That had been a one-time thing, but apparently here such an occurrence was a constant threat. She couldn't imagine living under such circumstances.

"Well, let's just say we're lucky none of the damage we do is ever permanent." Alya replied.

"Still, the idea that at any moment, you could suddenly become evil through no control of your own… I find that thought absolutely horrifying."

Alya paused to consider her words. "I guess it could be if you really think about it," Alya mused.

"That's why I choose not to," joked Nino.

"I guess if I lived with that reality on a daily basis, I'd shut it out of my mind as well," Rhonda reasoned. "But looking at it from the outsi-"

"OH, ADRIKINS!" interrupted a shrill voice.

"…speaking of absolutely horrifying," muttered Alya…

A blonde newcomer bounded over, practically tackling Adrien. "So," she said, "I've decided to give you a second chance to take me out for some ice cream. How about it?"

"Actually," Adrien said, squirming in her grasp, "that does sound like a good idea. We should all go once Marinette gets back."

"Oh, is she still here?" the blonde said haughtily. Her gaze turned towards Rhonda. "And just _who_ is _this_ now?"

"Uh, well… Chloe, you remember Rhonda Lloyd, right? She visited from the USA a few years back?"

"Oh, right… the _tourist_," the heiress said distastefully. "Why's _she_ here?"

"Preteen Miss Online flew her in to cover my shoot tomorrow. Isn't that great? The three of us haven't been together in ages!"

"Well, I suppose she's closer to our station than _this_ riff-raff. Barely." The heiress commented archly.

"Hello, Chloe," Rhonda replied, a little coolly, taken aback at Chloe's newfound (from her perspective, anyway) superciliousness. Back when they first met, _she_ had been the snooty one. It was very disconcerting. "It sure has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Has it? I honestly barely remember you. I tend not to pay too much attention to people below my social status. Tell me, is your family's net worth even _in_ the nine-digit range?"

"Chloe!" Adrien scolded. "I don't see what that has to do with anything!"

"It's simple, really," Chloe replied arrogantly. "Class is something you are born with. And when you aren't, it's obvious. Look at her… she acts like she's aristocracy, she dresses in all the right styles… but in reality, she's just like that tacky butterfly clip in her hair… cheap, plastic, and gaudy."

Rhonda glared at her supposed old friend. "Jesus, Chloe, what the hell did I ever do to you?" she shot back, her rich girls' manners momentarily forgotten as good-old-fashioned take-no-crap Hillwood brass took over.

"It's simple, really. You thought you could just waltz in here and play princess in _my_ kingdom. I'm simply informing you of your place."

"My _place_? Listen you…" Rhonda could feel her fist clenching, She wasn't naturally a violent person, but like all people, she could only be pushed so far.

Adrien, for his part, was alarmed at how fast the situation was spiraling. "Please… Rhonda, Chloe doesn't mean it."

"I don't?"

"No, you don't," he said pointedly, banking on Chloe's tendency to actually pay attention when he got tough with her. "She's not very good with new people. But I think she's going to try to get along, Right?" He eyed her intently.

"I suppose," Chloe replied emotionlessly.

"Frankly, I'm not going to be here long enough to make a big deal out of this," commented Rhonda. "I'd like to avoid any further drama if at all possible."

"Well, then that's settled," Adrien stated, noting that Marinette was on her way back. He waved her over. "Marinette! We're going to take an ice cream break before coming back here. Are you coming?"

"Uh… I'd love to cream, I mean, come, I mean… sure!" she stammered. For not the first time, Adrien wished she could just relax around him. To be honest, though he hadn't really been conscious of it, he had found himself thinking about her a lot lately. There was something about her that kept nagging on his mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he'd been thinking about her almost as much as he had Ladybug.

Something scratched at the back of his mind, but it faded almost immediately.

Oh well, it was probably nothing.

* * *

The feeling had gone just as quickly as it had come.

Among the abilities granted by Gabriel Agreste's Miraculous was the ability to sense when someone in the city was experience intense negative emotions, becoming ripe to be corrupted by one of his _akumas_. Such a feeling had come over him mere minutes ago as he was finalizing the schedule for tomorrow's shoot. He had ducked out of the call, feigning a headache, but the feeling had faded before he'd even reached his lair.

Briefly, he wondered just who had been the source of this feeling. His victims remained anonymous, though he did get a vague sense of who they were and how they were wronged, until the moment his _akumas_ made contact. What form would they have been granted, what sort of chaos would they spread? Gabriel had to admit that, despite the serious nature of his mission, he did take a sort of perverse thrill at watching the madness unfold.

Ah, well. Though for now, he was disappointed to be denied a new pawn, it surely wouldn't be long before he had another opportunity.

* * *

"Ah, a new face!" Andre, the jovial ice cream vendor, exclaimed. "Welcome to Andre's!"

"Andre, this is our friend Rhonda from the States. This is her first time."

"Ah, greetings, Rhonda, welcome to our fine country. Now, let us see what I can get for you."

"Why, thank you," the girl said sweetly, "I think I'd like a scoop of-"

"Oh, no no no," Andre scolded. "At Andre's, you do not choose the flavor, the flavor chooses you, revealing your one true love. Now, let us see… yes… yes… oh, my, what a unique combination… Mango sherbert on the bottom… mocha in the middle… and… yes, banana on top. And chocolate sprinkles, like little ants all over."

Rhonda's eyes widened. Mango, representing Nadine's Jamaican ancestry… mocha, for her complexion… banana, for her hair, and ant-like sprinkles representing her love of insects. "Wow… that's perfect! I mean, I would never put those flavors together, but… it's perfect!" She accepted the concoction eagerly.

Off to the side, Chloe glared at the American interloper. So, she really was after Adrien. It was so obvious… Mango for his sweet nature, mocha for his stimulating personality, banana for his blond hair… she wasn't sure how the sprinkles figured in, but she was sure they played a role too, somehow.

Well, if Miss Rhonda Lloyd thought she was going to horn in on Chloe's claim on Adrien, she had another think coming. Already, a plan was forming in her mind.

Rhonda was going to find getting to that photo shoot tomorrow extremely difficult…

* * *

**A.N.: Well, it's been a while since I've updated this story… mainly because I'm barely getting any feedback on it! I do intend to finish it, but I'd be more motivated if I knew that more than one person was reading it. I know not a lot of people look at the crossover section, but come on. There's gotta be more of you.**

**Jose: Yep, keen eye there! I was going to make a reference to a certain other Nickelodeon superhero, but I figure two was enough.**

**Next: Marinette tries to discover Rhonda's intentions, while Chloe plots.**


	4. Truths and Lies

Chapter 4

Truths and Lies

"DADDY!"

Chloe's shrill voice echoed through the penthouse suite upon her arrival home. The servants were used to her outbursts at this point. You could set your clock to them. The question was, just what was it that had set her off this time?

In his home office, Andre Bourgeois, both Paris's mayor and her wealthiest resident, looked up from his daily financial statement in response to Chloe's shriek. "Chloe, dear, just what is troubling you?" he asked.

"Oh, Daddy, it's horrible! I was out with my Adri-kins and this girl who is _way _below our social status just starts cozying up to him! I doubt her family even has a private plane!"

"My dear, I'm sure this young lady is no competition for you."

"You'd think so, but Adrien… get this… called her 'his first crush'! Can you believe that? Some low-class Yankee girl? It's ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! I can't believe he could possibly fall for that…. That Lloyd girl!"

"Oh, I'm certain he's long since gotten o- did you say Lloyd? You wouldn't be referring to _Rhonda _Lloyd, would you? Buckley Lloyd and Brooke Wellington's daughter?"

"I don't care who her parents are. I just want to know what you plan to do about this!"

"Well, actually… this is a bit awkward. Miss Lloyd is… er… a guest at this hotel."

"Well, _kick her out! _You're the one in charge, aren't you?"

"Er, it's… not quite so simple, my little one. You see, I'm obligated to host Miss Lloyd, since Mr. Lloyd was kind enough to drop what would have been a _very_ costly lawsuit. I mean, I am certain it wasn't _our _foie gras that gave his wife food poisoning, but it would have been quite difficult to prove in court, so frankly, the fact that we were able to reach an agreement, especially since it might have led to an investigation into its source…" He tugged his collar. Nobody needed to know the _real _reason Paris' over-abundance of pigeons had dropped off. "In any case, I can't just… kick her out."

"But don't you want to make me happy, Daddy?"

"Of course I do, sweetikins, but I also have to consider the consequences if certain… things were to be revealed. That would be bad for business, you understand, and what's bad for business is bad for the whole family."

"I said," she repeated with much more unstated emphasis on just how unpleasant things could get for him if she didn't get her way, "don't. You want. To make me happy. Daddy."

"W-well," stammered Mr. Bourgeoise, "I… I can't just kick her out, but I suppose I could look into other ways of making things difficult for her…"

"I _suppose_ that's the best I can ask for…. Very well. Thank you, daddy," Chloe replied, her mind already racing to come up with ways to make Rhonda Lloyd's life miserable.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"_This_ is where you live? A bakery?"

Marinette shrugged at the wealthy girl's comment.. "I guess it's a bit more humble that what you're used to," she replied, a bit bashfully.

"That's not what I meant at all," Rhonda responded. "Actually, it must be great. Waking up every morning to the smell of fresh-baked bread…. I swear, if I lived here, I'd probably weigh a ton." She smiled. Marinette inwardly doubted her assertion, given the American's slender physique, but she held her comment. The girl may have potentially been competition, but she didn't need to let _her_ know that. "You must have the willpower of a saint to maintain a figure that good."

Marinette blushed. "I, uh, really don't give it much of a thought."

Inside, Marinette's parents, Tom and Sabine, were at work preparing an order of _petits fours_. Tom looked up from the tray he was icing. "Ah, is this a new friend of yours, Mainette?" he asked.

"Well, hopefully," I said. "Mom, dad, this is Rhonda. She's visiting from the States."

"Enchanted to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Rhonda added, curtsying.

"Oh, no need to be so formal," Tom demurred. "Any friend of Marinette's is welcome here. In fact, we'd be honored if you'd stay for dinner."

"Oh, I really couldn't," Rhonda protested. "It'd be an imposition."

"Nonsense, we'd be happy to have you," Sabine insisted. "Unless you already had plans…"

"Well…" considered Rhonda. "Not really, I was just going to get room service back at the hotel. It's not like I really know much of anyone here, other than Adrien, and well…" It didn't need further elaboration; Gabriel Agreste was well-known for his reclusiveness, and hospitality didn't exactly go hand in hand with that particular quality. "The smell of fresh-baked bread is doing a _lot _to sway my opinion."

_This could definitely be a blessing in disguise_, Marinette thought. Rhonda would probably speak a lot more freely at dinner, and she would be able to get a better sense of her intentions towards Adrien… with a bit of clever prompting, of course.

"You realize we're not taking no for an answer," Sabine said. "We absolutely must insist. It would be an insult to turn us down."

"Well, we certainly can't have that, can we?"

"So, is this your first trip to Paris, Rhonda?" Tom asked.

"No, I was here back in fourth grade. My parents took me on a tour of Europe, and Paris was one of the stops."

"Oh? How did you find the city?"

"Very enchanting, but then, I had a wonderful guide." Marinette seethed privately. This was strike one. It didn't definitely proof that she still held a torch for Adrien, but it didn't disprove it either.

"And what brings you back to Pars this time? Joining your parents on vacation again?" Sabine asked.

"Actually, no, not this time. I kind of wish I was, but I'm here on business. A fashion magazine tapped me to cover Gabriel Agreste's big fashion show for their website."

"You know, that's quite a coincidence. Our daughter is very interested in fashion design. In fact, Mr. Agreste has used some of her designs in the past."

"It's not that much of a coincidence, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng-"

"Oh, call me Sabine, dear."

"-Sabine, the reason I came over is that Marinette offered me a look at her portfolio. But, well, I've talked enough bout myself. I want to hear about you. There must be a story behind bread _this_ good."

"Not really," Tom replied bashfully.

"Oh, don't be so modest," Sabine interrupted. "The DuPains have been making bread for over a century."

"Well, I'm not a classically trained pastry chef like you," retorted Tom. "I hope you'll save room for dessert… it's her legendary cherry tart."

"Legendary is overstating it quite a bit, dear…"

"You are far too modest. Her tart has won awards, you know."

"Tom, stop," Sabine protested, blushing. "In any case, I really would like to learn more about you. Tell me, what's life like back home?"

* * *

The conversation continued through dinner in the same vein, mostly surface-level questions regarding life in their respective hometowns in general. Marinette never did get to steer the conversation toward romance.

Eventually, when the last of the tart was demolished and final pleasantries were exchanged, Marinette asked "May I please be excused? I want to get a few things ready. Do you think you could come up in about five minutes?"

"I think that could be arranged, yes," Rhonda answered. "Perhaps I could help clear the table while you do that?"

"Oh, no, really, that's not necessary. You're a guest," protested Sabine.

"Nonsense, I'd be happy to," insisted Rhonda. "It'd give us more time to chat."

"Okay, well, I'll see you in five minutes, then!" Marinette stated, hurrying to her room. Once there, she opened her purse. "Tikki?" she asked. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," the kwami replied, yawning. "So… have you discovered Rhonda's nefarious intentions yet?" she teased.

"I'm afraid not," Marinette sighed. "Even after an entire dinner conversation with her, I'm sorry to say I know nothing more about whether she's still in love with Adrien. Oh, by the way, I brought you a little treat," she added, handing over a small piece of dessert, which Tikki eagerly gobbled down. The tiny sprite's appetite for sweets was unmatched.

"Well, maybe you could just casually steer the conversation in that direction once it's just the two of you?"

"That's crazy talk, Tikki! I can't ask her if she's interested, because if she's interested, she'd guess that I'm interested, and then we'd be rivals!"

"This human romantic stuff sounds complicated," commented Tikki.

"Well, what do kwamis do?"

"Mmm… well, romantic attachments between kwami are pretty rare, though it has been known to happen. But then, our biology is pretty different from yours."

"I kind of guessed that. That doesn't really help me, though."

'Well… maybe you'll get lucky and she'll let something slip."

"I guess anything's possible," Marinette mused. Inwardly, she could feel guilt gnawing at her over her suspicion of the girl. Her distrust of Chloe and Lila **(A.N. to **_**Hey Arnold**_** fans who are not **_**Miraculous Ladybug**_** fans: Yes, ML also has a Lila, except she's **_**justifiably**_** hated.) **was grounded in things they had actually done, but Rhonda had been nothing but friendly to her, and other than mentioning that she'd had feelings for Adrien when she was nine, she'd given Marinette no reason to be skeptical. And still, she couldn't shake that last bit of suspicion.

* * *

When Rhonda finally joined her, she had spread several portfolios of her work across her bed. "So…" the American girl asked, "let's see what you have for me."

"Well," Marinette replied. "This album covers my clothing designs, and this one is some of my other art."

"Hmmm, Rhonda said with an air of neutral interest. "This piece looks familiar. I could swear I saw it somewhere befo- wait, is that Jagged Stone's last album cover?"

"Oh, ah, yeah," Marinette answered, blushing. She hadn't realized she'd opened the album to that specific page. "I, uh, designed it."

"No kidding? That's amazing!"

"Well, I really didn't intend to brag…"

"But this is some very impressive work! You've got some serious talent!"

"I-I really don't think it's anything special…"

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You're going to go far someday, I can feel it. Can I see some of your clothing designs?"

"Oh, uh, right, my clothing designs," Marinette responded, picking up her fashion portfolio. She had no idea what she was expecting from the other girl, but her effusive praise had come as a surprise, making her distrust feel even more wrongheaded. "Oh, here, this was a gown I was working on… it's inspired by-"

"-The blue morpho butterfly," Rhonda supplied without hesitation.

"Oh, you're familiar with butterflies?" Marinette asked.

"Well," Rhonda supplied, "when your girlfriend's an aspiring entomologist, you do tend to pick up a few things here and there."

"I suppose that's reasonab- did you say you had a girlfriend?"

"Yes, I thought I mentioned th- oh, that was after you ran upstairs. Yeah, her name's Nadine. Hold on, I have a picture…" She fished out her phone and pulled up a photo where she was tickling a laughmg dark-skinned girl with blonde braids. "That's her. This was at a Memorial Day barbecue over at our friend Arnold's…" _That girl looks familiar_, thought Marinette. "She was really focused on a katydid so I snuck up behind her and someone captured the moment…"

"I think I've seen her somewhere before," Marinette posed. "She… wouldn't happen to be a game streamer, would she?"

"Oh… yes, yes she is, actually…" Rhonda confirmed.

Marinette snapped her fingers. "That's it! She's LepidopTerror! I'm a huge fan! Her walkthrough for 'Evil Spirits' saved my life! …virtually, of course."

"Is that the really hard one? She's always trying to get me into video games and I'm just not good at them. She keeps saying there's one for me out there somewhere, but we haven't found it yet. In any case, she'll get a kick out of knowing she has fans as far away as Paris."

"I hope she does!" Marinette replied eagerly.

"What about you?" Rhonda asked suddenly. "Got your eye on anyone in particular?"

"Wha-?" Marinette answered with a start. "Uh, n-no, not really I can't think of anyblonde- BOY that I have Agreste – _aggressive_ feelings for…"

"…yuh-huh," replied Rhonda skeptically. "Why do I feel like that's not entirely true?" She leaned in, her expression smug. "It's Adrien, isn't it."

"H-how do you know?" Marinette stammered, knowing full well exactly how she knew.

"It's pretty obvious. I mean… judging by your reactions, he's clearly on your mind a lot."

"I really didn't think it was that obvious."

"Oh, honey… if I was you, I would stay away from the Monte Carlo poker tables. You would _not_ do well there." Her smug expression softened into a sympathetic one. "Believe me, I know what it feels like. Carrying that with you all the time. Have you ever thought of telling him?"

"Oh… oh, no no no, not a chance. That way lies madness."

"You never know what'll happen until you do it, dear."

"Uh-uh. See, I know exactly what'll happen. I'll babble like an idiot and fall all over myself and be completely humiliated."

"Girl, you're too in your own head. You have to relax."

"I can't relax! He's just… so out of my league!"

"Hey, hey… I get it, he's rich and handsome and smart and famous and you feel like you're nothing next to him, but you have to understand… at the heart of it, he's just a guy, you know? He's not some unattainable god, he's a person with weaknesses like any other. And you have plenty to offer. I've known you for like five seconds, and I already know you're talented and creative… not to mention you're insanely cute…"

Marinette blushed. "I, um… I don't know about that…"

"Hey, if I noticed it, he's noticed it, I'm sure. Point is, there really isn't this huge gulf between the two of you. Don't sell yourself short, and don't put him up on some unreachable pedestal. I know someone who did that with the guy she was into, and she screwed herself for a long time because of it. Once she finally came clean, she was a hell of a lot happier."

"You kind of sound like Alya," Marinette commented.

"Then she must be very smart," Rhonda replied. "Look, you don't have to confront him right away, just… think about it. Believe me… I've been in this situation, and it's better to get it all out in the open than it is to keep it eating away at you on the inside."

"Let me guess," Marinette said sardonically, "You spent all your time worrying about whether she'd say yes or no when it turned out she was just as into you as you were into her?"

"Actually, no, she turned me down."

"Say what?"

"See, this wasn't my girlfriend, it was someone completely different. And yeah, it stung a bit to be rejected, but if I hadn't been, I'd still be stuck in this one-sided dead-end of a crush, never knowing if it was ever going to go anywhere. Getting rejected set me free to find the girl I really belonged with. See… you talk to Adrien, one of two things happens. One, he says yes and everything's great. Two, he says no and everything sucks for a while, but then you realize that the uncertainty's gone and you're free to move on, and maybe find someone new. It's not the end of the world if Adrien isn't your soul mate."

* * *

After that conversation, the two went back to discussing Marinette's designs until it was time for Rhonda to leave. After promising to touch base with her at tomorrow's fashion show, she said her goodbyes to the family and left.

"Well, there you go," Tikki said after Rhonda had departed back to the hotel. "She was never in competition in the first place. In fact… from the sound of it, it seems like Adrien should have been the jealous one."

"Oh, don't be silly, Tikki," Marinette replied. "She was just being friendly. And besides… Adrien would never be jealous on my behalf."

"Sounds like someone didn't take that conversation to heart," Tikki commented. "She's right… Adrien isn't perfect, Nobody is."

"Sure, but… jealous over me?"

"She was also right about you selling yourself short," Tikki continued, shaking her head. "Maybe you should try taking her advice. You'll be seeing Adrien at tomorrow's fashion show, won't you?"

"I guess… but… oh, wo am I kidding? I'll just chicken out like always!"

"There's always a first time, Marinette," Tikki advised. "There's always a first time."

* * *

When Rhonda got back to the hotel, she was surprised to find Chloe waiting for her in the lobby. Quickly, she made a beeline to the elevator, hoping to avoid eye contact; after their confrontation earlier that day, she was eager to spend as little time in the blonde's presence as possible. Unfortunately, Chloe immediately spotted her and moved to intercept her. "Rhonda, darling!" she shouted, as if she wanted everyone to see this scene.

"What do you want," Rhonda replied, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Oh, are you still upset about that silly disagreement we had earlier?" the other girl responded obsequiously. "Merely a bit of friction between old friends, nothing to worry about!"

"…uh-huh." Replied Rhonda, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Chloe was laying it on thicker than a pastry chef with a fondant fetish. "If you say so."

"To make it up to you, I asked Daddy to make room service on the house. We'll be sending up our most sumptuous dishes to you, completely free of charge!"

"Actually, I just came back from dinner. And frankly, I'm stuffed. Couldn't eat another bite. So, if it's all the same to you I think I'll just go to my room."

"Oh," said Chloe, looking disappointed. "Well… maybe I could drop by later… no, I could join you now! We could have a slumber party, just like old times!"

"….yeah, no, I really should get some rest before the big show tomorrow," Rhonda replied. In truth, she only needed about three hours of sleep a night thanks to her alien metabolism, but, honestly, she just didn't feel like spending the night with the other girl after her earlier behavior.

"Oh, are you sure?" asked Chloe, looking sincerely crestfallen at the rejection.

For a moment, Rhonda wondered if Chloe was, in fact, genuinely trying to make amends for her actions, and whether she was really doing the right thing by brushing her off, but in truth she really wasn't up for an impromptu sleepover. "Yes, I'm sure. Thanks anyway," she said, retreating.

* * *

Chloe fumed. The original plan had been to spike Rhonda's dinner with a generous supply of laxatives to make her night a living hell and leave her in no shape to attend tomorrow's fashion show. When that had failed, she'd came up with a hasty plan B… talk Rhonda into a slumber party and keep her up all night, leaving her too tired for tomorrow. But that had failed as well.

She needed a plan C. And it would have to be creative…

* * *

**A.N.: Well, it's been a while! Yeah, I've been prioritizing my other story, but I _will_ finish this. Eventually. Maybe if I got more reviews, I'd be more motivated, hint hint. Sorry to be so crass about it, but reviews really do motivate me more.**

**Jose: Yeah, honestly, I think the possibility of, at any moment, becoming evil and in no control of my actions is a truly horrifying thought. I'm surprised at the general lack of existential dread in Paris.**

**Princess Hinata Bug: Case in point! Getting a review from you was what prompted me to update this story, so thanks a bunch!**

**Next up: Well, it looks like Rhonda no longer has to worry about Marinette being jealous, but Chloe's a different story, and she's probably cooking up something really nasty, knowing her. And as we all know, her schemes have a tendency to attract akumas… next up: "Nobody EVER Suspects the Butterfly."**


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